2021 Ford Explorer brakes problems

Filed Oct 29, 2026 · Brakes · IN

The brake pedal on my 2021 Ford Explorer intermittently sticks or fails to return to its upright position after being depressed. This mechanical binding and failure to release changes drastically with seasonal weather transitions and ambient temperature drops. When the vehicle or the outside air is cold, the pedal requires me to physically hook my foot underneath the pedal arm to pull it back up so that the brakes fully disengage. This creates a severe safety hazard, as the brakes remain partially applied or sluggish to respond, which causes unexpected vehicle deceleration, brake drag, and a delayed throttle response when trying to accelerate. The vehicle is unpredictable to drive in traffic. The vehicle has been inspected, and the issue is characteristic of an internal manufacturing defect or tight tolerances within the Electronic Brake Booster (EBB) assembly under temperature fluctuations, similar to the issues addressed in Ford’s prior Customer Satisfaction Program 20B51.

Filed Jul 14, 2026 · Brakes, Driver assistance · MI

I am reporting a safety concern involving a delayed transmission gear engagement and delayed rearview camera activation. Intermittently, when shifting the vehicle from Park into Reverse or Drive, there is a noticeable delay before the transmission actually engages the selected gear. During this delay, the rearview camera also fails to activate immediately. Because there is no immediate indication that the requested gear has engaged, I have experienced situations where I believed the vehicle was in Reverse or Drive, but it remained in the previous state for several seconds. In some instances, the transmission engages unexpectedly after the delay, causing the vehicle to move in a direction different from what I anticipated. For example, after selecting Reverse, the vehicle may hesitate before moving, or after changing between Reverse and Drive, the delayed engagement can result in the vehicle moving in the previously engaged direction before finally shifting into the selected gear. This creates a significant safety hazard, particularly when parking, backing out of driveways, or maneuvering in areas with pedestrians or other vehicles. The delayed rearview camera activation further increases the risk because it prevents the driver from immediately seeing behind the vehicle while attempting to reverse. The issue occurs intermittently and without warning, making it difficult to predict. I am concerned that this condition could lead to a crash, property damage, or injury if the vehicle moves unexpectedly due to the delayed gear engagement. I request that the federal safety agency investigate this issue to determine whether it is related to a transmission, electronic shift control, or software defect affecting the safe operation of the vehicle.

Filed Jul 9, 2026 · Brakes, Transmission · 89,200 miles · MO

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 35 MPH down a hill, the engine and powertrain were resistant when the brakes were applied. No warning lights illuminated. A mobile mechanic was sent by a local dealer to inspect the vehicle. The mechanic determined that the failure was due to the transfer case but was not related to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 26V402000 (Power Train). After test driving the vehicle, the mobile mechanic determined that the vehicle was unsafe to drive. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the local dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 89,200.

Filed Apr 16, 2026 · Brakes, Electrical · NJ

While I drive my vehicle down the road the car all of a sudden sounds like you throw it in park, it screeches and grinds in the front and will not let you push the gas pedal down even when on the highway. This causes sever risk to the people around me as well as my children who drive in this car… ford has an open recall for this which my vehicle falls under year and build wise. But does not correlate with my vin #

Filed Apr 13, 2026 · Brakes · 54,230 miles · NY

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the master warning, brake, battery, ABS, and brake system warning lights illuminated. Additionally, the message "STOP Safely Now" was displayed. The vehicle then went into LIMP Mode each time, but the vehicle failed to respond while the contact was attempting to turn off the vehicle or accelerate. The contact stated that while the vehicle was in neutral(N), it failed to respond as intended. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that there were 11 undisclosed modules that needed to be updated, and the hybrid system was inoperable. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 54,230.

Filed Jan 20, 2026 · Brakes · FL

While applying brakes coming to a stop light, the vehicle gave a message stating service brakes. The brakes still felt normal. Then after a few minutes, the brakes felt like they suddenly stopped working and then the rear tires started locking up and releasing. The frong brakes felt like they were not working at all. Stopping distance approximately tripled and not really any way to adjust braking pressure. Releasing the pedal would give a 2ish second delay before the brakes would reapply upon hitting the pedal again, and withing 1 second would lock up the rear brakes again, starting the cycle over again. Took approximately 3 applications to fully stop in a safe manner. Luckily I was already driving slow due to the warning and was able stop before hitting the car in front. Was driving approximately 30 mph when this happened. Under normal circumstances and driving distances this would have not been possible. The car was taken to the Ford. They determined there was internal failure in the Electronic Brake Booster. The fix was to replace the full assembly (EBB, ABS, etc), and flush the brake fluid. Along with diagnostics of the issue, the cost was $4,100.87 to fix. Since replacing the EBB assembly, the problem has gone away. There were no other indictions of an issue before this happened. I know other Explorer years, and other models that use this same component have been recalled for similar issues as well, and think there is a issue with this module as well.

Filed Aug 27, 2025 · Brakes · MD

Hi, i am concerned about the safety of my vehicle. i brought it to the attention of ford motor company and an authorized dealer that i am getting a parking brake warning on my dashboard. the authorized dealer inspected it, and said that the braking system is contaminated due to liquid spilling from the damaged cupholders. i communicated to them, that 1. the cupholders are clearly not strong enough to be placed over a critical component of the vehicle such as a braking system. 2. i think that this is a design flaw as there are normally drips and spills from having liquid in your car, especially in the designated place for it (cupholders). I should not be held liable for the repair to the braking system. they insisted this should be for my account, and if i decided not to fix it, it could lead to the entire braking system malfunctioning while the car is in motion or at a stand still. I am noting this with the department of transportation for investigation hopefully prior to an incident/accident taking place and the risk of a fatality, i have communicated to the dealer but they feel they have no accountability for this. while this may seem to be a cosmetic issue "just a cupholder", it is directly over a critical system of the car, and based on research i have done, i am not the only one with a broken cupholder in my ford explorer.

Filed Aug 7, 2025 · Brakes · 85,000 miles · MA

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was sticking on three occasions. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed in a parking lot, the contact had to raise the brake pedal with her foot after the brake pedal was depressed. The contact stated that it felt like the parking brake was engaged. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the power brake booster was inoperable. The part: L1MZ2005K - Ford Power brake booster was on back order for a month. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who repaired the brakes, and informed the contact that the required parts were on back order for three months. The contact called the manufacturer, who confirmed the status of the parts, and that there was no release date for the parts. The manufacturer referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.

Filed Jul 14, 2025 · Brakes, Engine · MO

I was stoped at a red light with cars in front of me and behind me when with my foot on the break the car accelerated forward like my foot was on the gas pedal but my foot was not on pedal, the car surged forward and came close to hitting the car in front of me I pressed the break and got stopped didn’t happen again but sometimes I can feel the car wanting to keep surging forward when breaking. If there is a problem this could cause me to hit someone in the rear or even worse could hit a pedestrian in the crosswalk please check this out

Filed Jul 30, 2024 · Brakes · WI

Part 573 Safety Recall Report 23V‑675 The recall that is has been applied causes safety issues with the car when driving forward or in reverse. When putting the car into park the parking break auto applies. Now that is great however.. When putting the car into reverse or drive it does not release until the accelerator is applied. Now the problem is that the electric parking brake is delayed vs the acceleration causing the car to jerk forward or in reverse when the accelerator is applied. It acts like your trying to do a burn out holding down the break and it releases. This is not safe. A worker at the dealer almost rear ended a power pole in the parking lot because of this. My suggestion is to have the electric parking brake disengaged automatically when the car is put into drive or reverse. This will keep the protection of the electronic parking break being applied while in park and allowing smooth transition back to drive and reverse. Why has this issue been brushed under the rug..